Marie Brennan shops for flashlights with her daughters Kate, 1, right, and Sophia, 3, not pictured, at Keough's Paint and Hardware in Stamford on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo.

Marie Brennan shops for flashlights with her daughters Kate, 1, right, and Sophia, 3, not pictured, at Keough's Paint and Hardware in Stamford on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm

Ted Jankowski, Director of Public Safety for the city of Stamford, speaks during an Emergency Operations Center meeting at Government Center on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo.

Ted Jankowski, Director of Public Safety for the city of Stamford, speaks during an Emergency Operations Center meeting at Government Center on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo.

Ted Jankowski, Director of Public Safety for the city of Stamford, speaks during an Emergency Operations Center meeting at Government Center on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo.

Ted Jankowski, Director of Public Safety for the city of Stamford, speaks during an Emergency Operations Center meeting at Government Center on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo.

Dennis Ross shows Drew Bisset, left, how to mix gasoline for his leaf blower, which he plans to use to clear snow, at Keough's Paint and Hardware in Stamford on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for winter storm Nemo. less

Dennis Ross shows Drew Bisset, left, how to mix gasoline for his leaf blower, which he plans to use to clear snow, at Keough's Paint and Hardware in Stamford on Thursday, February 7, 2013, in preparation for ... more

STAMFORD -- Mayor Michael Pavia declared a snow emergency Thursday afternoon as officials readied for the first major winter storm of the season forecast to dump between 10 and 14 inches of snow and possibly flood low-lying areas.

Public Safety Director Ted Jankowski led an emergency planning meeting including police, fire, health and public works administrators and employees at the Stamford Government Center to review procedures and preparations continuing in advance of the storm.

With tidal surges of up to 3 to 5 feet expected to accompany the winter storm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to be at Stamford's hurricane barrier beginning early Friday to determine whether the sea wall should be closed at high tide and through the duration of the storm to prevent flooding, Emergency Management Director Thomas Lombardo said.

"We're still expecting a bad storm, but continuing to monitor it," Jankowski said. "I would say though we're very well prepared."

The storm which is expected to begin sometime early Friday is expected to bring between 10 and 14 inches of snow to Fairfield County, according to the National Weather Service. Early snow is expected to transition to rain and sleet during the day Friday for more southerly areas, potentially reducing snowfall totals.

Northeast winds on Friday are expected to be between 25 to 35 miles per hour with sustained gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, creating blizzard-like conditions. Visibility will be less than a half-mile in some cases.

Stamford Superintendent of Schools Winifred Hamilton said she was reserving judgment on closing schools until early Friday, asking parents to check the district's website at stamfordpublicschools.org at that time to find out if school has been called off due to the impending storm. Hamilton issued an alert to parents Thursday through ParentLink notifying them to check the site early Friday.

Hamilton said having lost five class days in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and conflicting forecasts for when the storm will begin, makes her wary of canceling school unnecessarily, a move that would require the district to hold classes the last day of April vacation to meet the state's 180-day requirement.

"It seems there are as many opinions as weather possibilities," Hamilton said. "Even the National Weather Service is saying it could start anywhere from tonight at midnight, to 5 or 6 or 7 o'clock in the morning Friday or tomorrow night," Hamilton said Thursday.

Greenwich public schools announced they will be dismissing students early Friday, and Darien and New Canaan school officials announced they will make the call about potential early dismissals by 5:30 a.m.

Under Pavia's snow emergency declaration, a parking ban is in effect on 41 designated snow emergency routes to allow the city to plow and cleanup during the storm. Beginning at 5 p.m., Thursday, residents could park free of charge in the Bedford, Summer and Bell street parking garages until the emergency status is lifted.

The city is also preparing to open shelters for residents if necessary, most likely at Stamford High School, and Rippowam and Turn of River middle schools, Lombardo said.

Since earlier this week, the city's traffic and road maintenance crews have been preparing for the storm by fitting plow trucks with blades and having drivers prepare for an expected lengthy stint clearing roads, said Thomas Turk, traffic and road maintenance supervisor for the city.

On Thursday, plow trucks were being given another once over and sanders loaded, Turk said. The first round of plow trucks will be deployed shortly after the arrival of the first flakes of snow, expected sometime overnight into Friday morning, Turk said.

"It's going to be a long event lasting 24 to 30 hours so it will be a test of endurance," Turk said. "It will be about people working as long as they can but we also need to get people rest so they can work effectively."

Connecticut Light & Power spokeswoman Tricia Modifica said that the company was calling in additional line and tree crews from other states to be on standby to help repair power outages in the wake of the storm, but had no estimate for how many might be available and when.

Line and other types of trucks needed in power restoration efforts are being furnished with snow chains and checked out to make sure they are ready for inclement weather.

"It's a very fluid number at this point," Modifica said of the number of crews. "We're sending out the calls now and we need to see how many answers we get back."

Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said that train maintenance crews are preparing train fleets and equipment in advance of the storm to operate in the expected harsh conditions.

Late Thursday, the railroad announced it would be altering its Friday schedule to shift more trains to the early afternoon to assist commuters making an early exodus from the city.

Among the preparations is the spraying of door panels with anti-freeze agents to prevent them from sticking, clearing air brake lines of moisture to prevent freezing, and fitting electric trains with specially shaped third-rail shoes that prevent snow from sticking and interrupting the transmission of power, he said.

The expected storm will also serve as a test for the weather-resistant capabilities of Connecticut's growing fleet of new M-8 railcars, which have design features intended to make them less vulnerable to harsh New England conditions, Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesman Judd Everhart said.

Unlike the state's aging fleets of M-2, M-4, and M-6 cars which are more prone to snow-related mechanical problems, the new cars are expected to experience fewer weather-related problems having gaskets, circuit boards and other vital electronic components placed inside the compartment of the train.

In Stamford, residents flocked to gas stations, supermarkets and hardware stores to buy last-minute provisions as the forecast for the impending storm remained formidable.

At the Grade A ShopRite market on Hope Street, customers at the six check-out lanes were in lines four to six deep late Thursday afternoon doing pre-storm shopping.

Paul Leone of Darien, a father of three, stopped in to grab some odds and ends including a bag of pretzels and some bread crumbs. He wasn't surprised by the afternoon rush.

"You learn after two or three storms to go early or you might not get what you need," Leone said.

At Karp's True Value Hardware next door, a steady stream of customers bought bags of ice melter, snow shovels and window scrapers before the impending storm, David Fogel, a co-owner of the store said.

The relatively light dusting of snow during the dry first month and a half of winter had kept demand for shovels and other perennial snow storm products low.

"So far, this has been one of those winters that has been quiet on the snow front," Fogel said. "Regardless, we buy a certain amount of material anyway at the start of the season, and now we're seeing it sell."

Chet Agonis, 58, a professional tractor-trailer operator, was trying to determine which brand of ice melter offered a less toxic option to his grass and wouldn't damage his concrete front walk.

"When I was a kid, I liked the snow, but it's just a nuisance now," he said. "A lot of people go out before a storm and buy things. It's crazy."

Anthony Marton, of Springdale, bought a snow shovel and said he was fortunate because he would be able to work from home Friday. He said he would probably spend time playing with his 7-year-old son over the weekend.

"We might go sledding on Saturday," Marton said. "My biggest concern now is finding out if school will be open, have an early dismissal or not open at all."